Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake

Chapters 1-2

Reading Check

1. He puts it on autopilot immediately. (Chapter 1)

2. Bronxville, New York (Chapter 1)

3. A credit card scam in which he keeps $100 after charging a set of tires to his credit card (Chapter 1)

4. New York City (Chapter 2)

5. He says that his was stolen. (Chapter 2)

6. A toy plane (Chapter 2)

Short Answer

1. It sets up the fact that Frank has many alter egos, and that he uses respected positions in society, such as being a pilot, to gain respect from those around him. (Chapters 1-2)

2. It prepares him to become a con man. (Chapter 1)

3. He thinks that if they are stupid enough to be swindled, they deserve it. (Chapter 2)

4. He studies operations at the library and interviews a Pan Am captain while posing as a reporter for a high school paper. (Chapter 2)

Chapters 3-4

Reading Check

1. Pan Am isn’t based at LaGuardia. (Chapter 2)

2. It means flying in the extra seat in the cockpit, a privilege reserved for pilots and flight staff. (Chapter 3)

3. Atlanta (Chapter 4)

4. Doctor (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. He dates stewardesses to learn more about airline operations, not because he cares about them. (Chapter 3)

2. He writes that the culture of 1960s hotels and airlines inherently trusted men in uniform. (Chapter 3)

3. He uses his knowledge of Pan Am protocol to convince the sheriff that a mistake has been made. (Chapter 4)

4. He is hands-off and pretends to be lazy, which makes the interns love him because he gives them more freedom. This helps him avert suspicion in spite of his having no medical training. (Chapter 4)

Chapters 5-6

Reading Check

1. Sean O’Riley (Chapter 5)

2. Harvard (Chapter 5)

3. He needs to show his transcript. (Chapter 5)

4. He cashes a check with his own name on it. (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. He meets an assistant to the state’s attorney who mentions that the attorney general needs lawyers. (Chapter 5)

2. He buys a Jaguar and expensive suits and treats the staff on different outings. (Chapter 5)

3. His own criminal experiences (Chapter 5)

4. She leaves him mid-bike ride. Later, he sees a police car in her driveway. (Chapter 6)

Chapters 7-8

Reading Check

1. Monique Lavalier (Chapter 7)

2. A $5000 cashier’s check (Chapter 7)

3. University of Arizona (Chapter 8)

4. That they won’t panic if the scam is revealed (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. He wants to use it for future reference. (Chapter 7)

2. He gets the idea to act as a night guard who collects the deposits, making off with over $60,000. (Chapter 7)

3. He has begun to arouse suspicion when he travels alone, so he decides that he should travel with a group of fake stewardesses. (Chapter 8).

4. He pays her with a fake check for $1,400, requesting $400 in cash in change. (Chapter 8)

Chapters 9-10

Reading Check

1. Montpellier (Chapter 9)

2. One year (Chapter 9)

3. Jan Lundstrom (Chapter 10)

4. Through the toilet hatch (Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. His mother has told the relatives that he is hitchhiking around the world. (Chapter 9)

2. He thinks about being a real pilot and likely does this because of the status it afforded him in the past, and the status it affords real pilots. (Chapter 9)

3. He is treated much better in the Swedish prison than in the French one. (Chapters 9-10)

4. The registration clerk is a former airline stewardess who recognizes him. (Chapter 10)